Discovery Middle School
Newsletter - October 2019
Building a Foundation for Success!
Mr. Vincent Williams
Grade 7
Mrs. Amy Herrick
Grade 8
Mr. Dan Shultis
Grade 6
Hello Discovery Families!
Hello Discovery Families! Every school in the Fargo Public Schools District has yearly school improvement goals. Building school improvement goals should foster continuous improvement, be purposeful and be meaningful. In an effort for continuity, all Fargo Public Schools will have the same goals, but the activities to reach those goals may vary from building to building. At the heart of everything we do is our mission: to build a foundation for success for our students and to educate and empower all students to succeed.
At Discovery, our school improvement team has aligned the school improvement goals with corresponding objectives and activities to the strategic plan for our district and our building operational plan. We then tailor our strategies and activities with these goal areas by looking at our building data. This is what creates the Improvement Plan for each new school year.
Discovery Middle School’s School Improvement Goals for the 2019-2020 school year are as follows:
- Culture: Creating a supportive and positive climate for students and staff that supports student learning.
- MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports): Implement system-wide supports that provide interventions and extensions for students needing additional academic and/or behavioral supports.
- Student Achievement: Students will meet or exceed individual learning goals toward the achievement of district standards.
Thank you for all you do to support our students and our school community. If you have any questions regarding Discovery’s school improvement goals, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Amy Herrick at 701.446.3305 or e-mail herrica@fargo.k12.nd.us
Upcoming Events
October 8, 10, 15 - Parent Teacher Conferences
October 17 & 18 - No School NDCEL Convention
October 21 - No School Staff Professional Development
October 25 - End of Quarter 1
November 11 - Veteran's Day - No School
November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher conferences at Discovery will be held from 4:15-8:15 p.m. on October 8 & 10, and 4:15-6:15 p.m. on October 15. To accommodate parents’ schedules, conferences will be on a drop-in basis instead of pre-scheduled. Feel free to stop by to visit with your student(s)’ teachers on one of the three scheduled nights. When you arrive, teachers will be stationed in their classrooms for conferences. If you’d like, you can follow your student(s)’ daily schedule to visit with teachers.
*******Davies apparel will be available for purchase at Discovery during Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 8 & 10.********
Family Educator Enhancement Team (FEET) Meeting
Fargo Public Schools and West Fargo Public Schools will hold a joint Family Educator Enhancement Team (FEET) meeting in October. FEET is designed to assist families who have children with special needs by connecting them to available educational partners. Parents and guardians are invited to attend the meeting on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Leidal Education Center in Room #138, 207 W Main Ave, West Fargo.
If you wish to attend, please RSVP one week prior to the event at: http://bit.ly/2ktCAYa. Free childcare will be provided.
Attendance FAQs
Phone: 701-446-3310
Email: dmattendance@fargo.k12.nd.us
Ill Student
Call or email the attendance office before 9:00 a.m. to report an ill student.
If the student feels better and comes in late, they are to check in at the attendance office.
Appointments
Call or email the attendance office before 9:00 a.m. or send a note with the student to turn in at the attendance office upon arrival. At the release time the student will show their teacher the pass and go to the office for pick up. Parent/Guardian MUST COME IN and sign the student out. When returning from the appointment, student must check in at the attendance office. Parents/Guardians do NOT need to come in when student is returning.
Tardy
If students are late arriving to school, they should report directly to the attendance window for a pass to enter class. Students who arrive within the first 10 minutes of a period are marked Tardy. More than 10 minutes into a period is reported as Late.
PARENT/STUDENT CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY MEETINGS
Each 7th grade and new 8th grade student athlete, along with a parent, should attend an activity meeting, and sign and date the co-curricular card. If you have already attended a meeting this fall, you do not need to attend another session this school year. The co-curricular meeting scheduled for winter sports is Monday, November 4th at 5:30 at Ben Franklin Middle School.
START DATES FOR WINTER SPORTS
October 22 - 6, 7 & 8 Danceline
October 22 - 7 & 8 Girls Basketball
October 28 - 6, 7 & 8 Wrestling
January 3 - 7 & 8 Boys Basketball
March 4 - 6 Boys & Girls Basketball
All other winter activities are held through Davies High School. Club activities meet at various times. Please listen to the announcements for more information. Any questions, please contact Dan Shultis/Activities Director – 446-3306.
READ 180/SYSTEM 44 PARENTS – Grades 6,7,8
If you would like to find out about lexile scores you can go to the website: www.lexile.com. This website gives a lexile score to many books your child may be reading. Remember that if your child is really interested in a subject, they could be reading above their lexile score. We will be sharing these scores with you at conferences, but if you wish to know your child's lexile score at this time feel free to call us and we will get back to you as soon as possible. – Cori Thielges ● 446-3425 – Karen Foss ● 446-3525
SNOWBOARD/SKI CLUB
Our informational meeting will take place on November 7th at 7:00 p.m. in the Discovery cafeteria.
ATTENTION 6TH GRADE BAND STUDENTS
PRIMO! will begin on October 24, 2019. We will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3:30 – 4:00. Come join your friends and learn fun music for a December performance at West Acres and Courts Plus. Hope to see you for our first rehearsal! More information will be available during 6th grade large group rehearsal. If you have any questions, please contact one of the band directors at 446-3405 or salzerm@fargo.k12.nd.us, stottsv@fargo.k12.nd.us , or luchtj@fargo.k12.nd.us.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Student Leadership at Discovery is gearing up for another exciting year! We have a great number of returning and new students joining this year. Fortunately, this organization has many opportunities to work on developing leadership and helping the school and community, so everyone should have a chance to participate in something. Discovery’s Student Leadership is comprised of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who want to further develop or enhance their leadership skills by volunteering in events or activities around the school and Fargo-Moorhead area. They also attend monthly meetings to facilitate the planning and to learn more skills. To start the year off, we will be in charge of several concession stands for school games, as well as volunteering for Gigi’s Playhouse, an organization who helps children with Down’s Syndrome. Throughout the year, students will also be able to help with Fill the Dome, recycling, and planning events at Discovery.
DISCOVERY YEARBOOK
It’s not too late to order a Discovery Yearbook! 2019-20 Yearbooks will be available to order through Friday, February 7th. The cost is $25, and you can purchase one online in SchoolPay, or by bringing cash, a check made out to “FPS”, or a credit card to the Discovery School Main Office. Yearbooks will be distributed on the last day of classes in the Spring, and there will not be any extras available for purchase at that time, so order now! If you’re not sure if you ordered yet, please check with the Main Office.
Liz’s Closet
A Discreet, Free Resource for Discovery Students in Need
What: Discovery strives as a team to meet the needs of all students as part of our mission to build a foundation for success. Liz’s Closet, a free resource at Discovery, aligns with this mission by providing students in need with items such as clothing, hygiene products, non-perishable food items, etc.
At Discovery, we hope to provide developmentally appropriate support to students in need by offering a means to obtain basic food, clothing, and hygiene products in a discreet manner.
Where: Liz’s Closet is located in Student Services. The shelves being used as Liz’s Closet are accessible through a trusted adult in the building (teachers, counselors, administrators, paraprofessionals, designated staff).
Who: Any student in need of these items is welcome to take what he/she needs with the help of a trusted adult. This includes, but is not limited to, students who receive free/reduced lunch, students whose families have experienced a loss of their home or serious illness, students who are new to the U.S., etc.
How: There are 3 ways students can access Liz’s Closet. 1) Students are welcome to directly ask a trusted adult at Discovery to use Liz’s Closet who will then bring the to Student Services or notify Student Services that the student will be coming. 2) To maintain privacy as best as possible, a student can simply draw a star on a sheet of paper and bring it to a trusted adult. The adult will then instruct the student as to when he/she can go to Student Services to collect what is needed. If this adult does not have a time that works for him/her, the adult will notify the appropriate counselor or staff member to be expecting this student sometime within the school day. Once in Student Services, the student will be escorted to the closet and can take what is needed. 3) A parent can call to notify Student Services, and the student will be asked to stop by during a time that works for him/her to collect items.
If you know of anyone who may want to utilize this resource, please do not hesitate to contact a teacher, counselor, staff member, or administrator. For questions, please contact the Student Services office at 701-446-3311.
Backpack Program
The Back Pack Program provides a grocery bag of kid-friendly, shelf stable food for your student to take home and eat over the weekend. Students enrolled in this program receive foods like cereal, pudding, soup, fruit, granola bars, and other items. When you sign your student up for this program, contingent on availability, a counselor will invite your student to stop by Student Services anytime during the school week (typically after school) to take a bag of food home with them. Students enrolled in the program are responsible for remembering to pick up their bags, and students on the wait list will be offered any remaining bags on Fridays. We only have a certain number of bags given to us, so we will operate on a first come first serve basis. A waiting list will be created, and families of students placed on the waiting list will be notified if and when their student is able to receive bags of food.
If your student participated in this program last year and you would like them to continue receiving bags, please make sure to sign them up again as soon as possible to ensure a spot.
Please fill out the attached form and return it to the Student Services Office if you would like your student/students who attend Discovery to participate. You only need to complete one of these forms per family if you are interested in participating in this program.
Personal Learning Device
7th and 8th grade students currently take PLD’s home with parent/guardian permission. 6th grade students will be allowed to take devices home beginning October 22. The purpose of this option is to provide an extension of student learning.
- PLD responsible use applies both at school and at home. Responsible Use Policy
- Unless opting out, parents/students accepted the terms of the PLD Take Home Contract
- Students have been given the following information regarding PLD use and responsibility. Please review this information by clicking on the following: PLD Orientation
The following are suggestions to foster PLD at-home responsible use:
Parent/Guardian Responsibility
The parent/guardian must agree to monitor student use at home. The best way to keep students safe and on-task is to have a parent/guardian present and involved.
Suggestions: Investigate and apply parental controls available through your
Internet service provider and/or your wireless router.
- Develop a set of rules/expectations for device use at home. Some websites provide parent/child agreements for you to sign.
- Only allow device use in common rooms of the home (Ex. living room or kitchen and not in bedrooms.)
- Demonstrate a genuine interest in what your student is doing on the device.
- Ask questions and request that child shows you his or her work often.
Information from Kent School District One-to-One Handbook
OverDrive eBook and Audiobooks...Check One Out Today!
Read anywhere on your computer or mobile device FOR FREE! Access in Middle School Resources or download the app. Click here for directions to check out eBooks and audiobooks from the Fargo Public Schools’ OverDrive collection.
Learning Portal and Google Account
The Learning Portal contains a great deal of access to school-related items such as PowerSchool, Daily Planner (EduCal), Google Apps, and Middle School Resources. Click here for instructions to access these from home. Home Access to Learning Portal and Google Account
Keeping Kids Safe in a Digital World
“You know your kids. We know media and tech. Together we can build a digital world where our kids can thrive. Families and teachers everywhere trust Common Sense for expert reviews, objective advice, helpful tools, and so much more” (Common Sense Media Mission).
Here are a couple articles (and supporting links) parents might find helpful:
Vape Awareness
Vaping is on the rise for youth across the nation, and Fargo is no exception. Fargo Cass Public Health is helping with the education component. A representative from Fargo Cass Public Health will have an informational booth set up during Parent-Teacher Conferences at South, Davies, and North High Schools, as well as Ben Franklin, Carl Ben Eielson, and Discovery Middle Schools to answer questions. Please see the attached flyer for dates and times.
Discovery Middle School
Amy Herrick, Assistant Principal
Dan Shultis, Assistant Principal
Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/discovery
Location: 1717 40th Avenue South, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701-446-3300